HE LISTENED TO REASON.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 09, 11 January 1908, Page 10

HE LISTENED TO REASON.

Going into a port where the water | was very deep— Rio Janerio, I believe | —relates Captain A. T. Mahau, the $! chain cables "got away," as the ex- | ptession is, control was lost, and shackle | after shackle tore ouT of the hawse- fi holes, leaping and the&iping, rattling f and roaring. The admiral was on deck i\ at tho moment, and v.-h^n -the chain had t been' at last stopped and secured, he 6 &aid to tho captain: "Alfred, send for EJ tho young man in charge of those chains.. B and fjivo him ,1 good setting-down. Ask * him what he means b£ letting buch H things happen." The officer was sent w tor, and soon his questioning blue eyes b appeared over tho hatch coaming. Al- 8 fred was a mild person, and clearly did fj not l^ko his job ; ho could not have S come up to the admiral's standard. The $ latter saw it, and intervened : "Perhaps $ you had bettor leave it to me. I'll $ settle him." Fixing bis eyes on the of- $ fender, ha said, sternly : "What do you (\ mean by this sir? Why the- hell did /! you not stop that chain?" The culpiit, $j looking quietly at him, replied, simply, jjj "How tho hell could 1 ?"■ This was a fo shift in the wind for whioh the admiral p was unprepared. He was taken flat back. ,$ After a moment's hesitation he turned [ i to tho cupUi'xn, and said meekly, ,vefc _ with o\*idont consciousness ot ;i checkmate, ' "That's true, Alfred; how thehell could hsV* i d